FINAL TASK

"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person that you are."

As the entity swings at him again, Five drops low, evading the punch by inches. Using all his remaining strength, he lunges at Ninety-Nine, dropping into a slide and delivering a brutal kick to Ninety-Nine's knee

CRACK.

Ninety-Nine screams, collapsing as his leg buckles under him. His hands go to his knee, his face twisted in pain. The black entity flickers, its movements stuttering as Ninety-Nine loses focus.

Five doesn't hesitate. He steps forward and drives his knee into Ninety-Nine's face, the impact sending him sprawling to the ground, dazed.

The entity twitches, attempting one last attack, but it's slower, weaker. Five dodges, and with one swift, final strike, he slams his fist into Ninety Nine's temple.

Ninety-nine falls, unconscious. The black entity shudders, then dissipates into nothingness, vanishing like smoke.

Five collapses to his knees, panting, his body shaking from the effort. He looks down at Ninety-Nine, making sure he's out cold. His hands rest on his thighs as he catches his breath, victorious, but barely able to stay upright.

So it wasn't a fluke after all, he indeed has some skills to back up his new status as the overall survivor in the last task. That was what was in everyone's mind as Five defeated Ninety-Nine and started making his way back.

A rare smile finally graced black Zero's face, but disappeared immediately it came, almost making it seem to be an illusion, he turned to the guy facing the screen, "Classify him as an alpha level expendable"

****

"From 109, we now have 46 Neos and 36 expendables, totaling a number of 82 left "

"Good, what about Five, did he win his fight?"

"Yes sir, even though he was facing a Neo with combat powers he still managed to defeat him, I can now see why you placed special attention on him."

"That will be all, for now"

"Yes Sir"

The video call ended and White clicked a video that captured fully Five's fight in the dome, he looked at it with an unreadable expression, then he turned his head to the painting behind him again, "Why does he look so much like you my friend," he muttered.

*****

*****

Days have passed since after the last task they had, everything had gone back to normal, they now had their morning runs, and even their training had resumed. But the illusion of normalcy didn't deceive anyone, even if they wouldn't say it out loud they all knew the final task would be the deciding factor of their future from there on. So they went about their days and training, waiting with bated breaths for the next task.

D-Day finally after two weeks, as Five was focused on throwing blows with gloves at a punching bag, which was probably crying for a reprieve as it swung far away with each blow before coming back and being sent back on the same journey.

The bag soon got its reprieve though, as Five heard footsteps behind him, he turned around to who it was.

"Follow me Five, Zero's looking for you"

The black uniform man didn't wait for a response before he turned around and started walking away, Five wasted no time in following behind him, once again it was the dome-like building, but instead of passing through the front like before they used the back, which opened up to an elevator.

It was not a long ride upward, as the elevator opened up, to the inside the interior of the opaque glass-like area. There black Zero was staring at a wide dark screen by the right side of the area section.

Five and the black uniform man saluted immediately as they reached where he was, even with his back to them. The guy didn't dally long as he left almost immediately after saluting.

"I'm guessing you know why you are here," black Zero said in his usual cold voice

"It's probably related to the last task Sir"

"Good, you are right about that kid. You will be going on a Mission, your first one. You succeed you become a Componere, you don't you either die there or you come in here to rot away like those fools over there." He pointed at the people in black in front of screens doing what god knows.

"You will be leading a team for this mission and unlike others, due to your record for the first task you get to choose who will be on your team."

Five took in a deep breath, understanding the weight of what was going to happen in the near future.

Black Zero then turned back facing the massive, blank screen once again. The silence I'm the room became thick almost tangible and heavy with the weight of what was to come.

He then steps forward, his fingers glided over a control pad embedded in a sleek console. The screen flickers to life, displaying a live feed of the Middle East, zooming in rapidly on a remote desert location.

The map halts at a high-tech, fortress-like base, buried deep within the desert.

Black Zero with his voice steady and eyes fixed on the screen began to speak

"This is the Al-Haran Complex. Classified. Remote. Secure. It’s a stronghold controlled by **The Desert Syndicate**—not your typical mercenary group."

He taps another control. The screen zooms in on a photo of a woman—sharp eyes, blonde hair, perfect skin, mid-30s, strong but tired. Her name flashes on the screen: *Sixteen*.

"Her name is Sixteen. She’s one of ours. Embedded undercover for three years. Recently, she’s obtained intel... potentially catastrophic intel."

Five nods, his gaze unwavering, but not only that he recognized her as the lady who saved her that night and also the same lady who brought him into PAX.

"What’s the mission?" he finally asked.

"She’s in the belly of the beast. Her cover's been blown. The Syndicate will extract her in 48 hours, then they’ll bleed her for everything she knows."

Black Zero then zooms in closer to the complex, showing entry points, guards, and security cameras.

"We need her back. Alive."

He pauses and turns to Five with a grim expression.

"But if extraction isn’t possible... you’re to get the intel from her on the ground, by any means necessary."

The screen then blinks, highlighting a red zone on the map—the most heavily fortified area. Five crosses his arms, taking it all in. "And what if she’s... compromised already?"

(hard voice, unflinching) j

"Then the mission becomes about the intel. Not her." Black Zero Said unhesitatingly with a cold voice, unflinching.

A heavy silence then settles in again, before Black Zero taps the control again. The screen then showed a collage image of all the recruits

"You leave in six hours. No mistakes, Five."

"There won’t be." Five said quietly

"Good, now choose your team for this mission"